HUNTINGTON BEACH, California/ USA (Sunday, August 6, 2017) – Sage Erickson (USA) and Kanoa Igarashi (USA) claimed victory today at the Vans US Open of Surfing in two-to-four foot (0.5 – 1 metre) waves on the southside of the Huntington Beach Pier. A capacity crowd witnessed Erickson clinch the win at Stop No. 6 of 10 on the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT) and Igarashi take out the Men’s Qualifying Series (QS) 10,000 event.Erickson claimed her first Championship Tour victory today after defeating 2016 event winner Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW) in an intense Final. Erickson will now vault from 9th to 6th on the Jeep Leaderboard, just 1,450 points behind Johanne Defay (FRA). Her 10,000 point gain significantly strengthens the Californian’s 2017 World Title campaign heading into the Swatch Women’s Pro, Stop No. 7 on the Women’s CT.

In their fifth head-to-head match-up, today’s Final saw Erickson claim her second win over Weston-Webb to earn the event title. Weston-Webb kept and held an early lead through to the halfway mark with multiple attempts in the beachbreak conditions. Erickson stayed patient, with only one wave ridden at the halfway mark, but maximized on a second opportunity to take the first position away from Weston-Webb. But determined for a second event win, Weston-Webb battled back to earn a 0.36-point lead with less than ten minutes to go. Under pressure, Erickson had the Huntington Beach crowd to their feet as she meet the 4.63 requirement with a 6.67.

Today’s runner-up result marks Weston-Webb’s second of 2017. The 26 year-old is heating up this season with back-to-back event Finals after the OK Fiji Women’s Pro. Weston-Webb will move up two spots to 8th on the Jeep Rankings, just one place higher than three-time WSL Champion Carissa Moore (HAW).

Alongside Erickson’s stunning CT victory, Local Huntington beach favourite Kanoa Igarashi saved his best performance for last and opened up with an incredible, near-perfect, 9.63 in the Final — the highest single-scoring wave of the men’s event. The local hero bashed three major backhand attacks and finished on the shorebreak in front of his hometown crowd to the eruption of applause. Igarashi then took that momentum into his next wave with two more critical backhand snaps that earned him a 5.60 and put an in-form Tomas Hermes (BRA) in a combination situation — something Hermes was unable to come back from after Igarashi closed the door in the dying minutes with a 7.60.

The 19-year-old was beside himself as his friends and family rushed in the water to the crowd’s deafening applause for his first-ever Vans US Open of Surfing QS10,000 win.

Hermes’ incredible run at the Vans US Open of Surfing finished with 8,000 vital points and propelled him toward the Top 10 in hopes of CT qualification. Hermes now has a renewed vigor heading into the rest of the season after eliminating one of the crowd favorites Patrick Gudauskas (USA) and the emphatic Carlos Munoz (CRI) en route to his Finals appearance. This marks the 30-year-old Brazilian’s first Final since 2013 where he earned a victory in Portugal, but it wasn’t to be replicated with the insatiable form of Igarashi.Vans US Open of Surfing Women’s CT Final Results: